authority, authorization, authorisation, potency, dominance, say-so (noun)

the power or right to give orders or make decisions

"he has the authority to issue warrants"; "deputies are given authorization to make arrests"; "a place of potency in the state"

authority (noun)

(usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others

"the authorities have issued a curfew"

authority (noun)

an expert whose views are taken as definitive

"he is an authority on corporate law"

assurance, self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence, authority, sureness (noun)

freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities

"his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular"; "after that failure he lost his confidence"; "she spoke with authority"

agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office, authority (noun)

an administrative unit of government

"the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority"

authority, authorization, authorisation, sanction (noun)

official permission or approval

"authority for the program was renewed several times"

authority (noun)

an authoritative written work

"this book is the final authority on the life of Milton"

authority (Noun)

The power to enforce rules or give orders.

authority (Noun)

Persons in command; specifically, government.

authority (Noun)

A person accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject.

Authority

The word authority is derived from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word authority can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area. The word Authority with capital A refers to the governing body upon which such authority is vested; for example, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority or the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Authority

In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, authority is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.In the exercise of governance, the terms authority and power are inaccurate synonyms. The term authority identifies the political legitimacy, which grants and justifies the ruler's right to exercise the power of government; and the term power identifies the ability to accomplish an authorized goal, either by compliance or by obedience; hence, authority is the power to make decisions and the legitimacy to make such legal decisions and order their execution.